US Open of Surfing Opens Account

“There are a few barrels out there,” Kelly Slater said. “There’s a lot going on and it’s a busy week and you kind of hope for those morning glassy heats, especially when there’s some swell. There’s some energy out there now, but it’s really windy so you’ve got to wait for the second, third or fourth wave and that’s where I got that barrel.”

“This event has a long history,” Slater said “You get the best juniors, best pros and it’s one of the best fields of the year as far as Primes go,” Slater said. “It’s a competitive contest. You get guys that you don’t see in lots of contests and they’ll do well, young guys busting big airs and then the crowds can be intimidating, but you get used to it after awhile.”

“I was looking for the big sets close to the pier,” Andre said. “Some of the rights are good and I knew it was going to be a hard first round. It’s all about being on the set waves and Huntington is a tough place to compete. We saw it in Adriano’s (de Souza) heat and I wanted to make sure I was on the good waves. I’ve been spending a lot of time here, I always stay with friend here and I love Huntington.”

“I’m just back from Bali and waves were amazing over there,” Michel Bourez said. “The waves were amazing out here for my heat too. Following Bali, I went home and was training at a beachbreak to get used to similar conditions and it worked well. I’m just here to have fun, see my sponsors and surf this event, it’s one of the biggest of the year and also to see the crowd.”

THE US Open of Surfing kicked-off in decent waves at Huntington Beach Pier you'll be pleased to hear. Unfortunately looking at the forecast that might well have been the best of it.

Less surprisingly Kelly Slater notched the day’s high score with typical aplomb. “There are a few barrels out there,” He said. “There’s a lot going on and it’s a busy week and you kind of hope for those morning glassy heats, especially when there’s some swell. There’s some energy out there now, but it’s really windy so you’ve got to wait for the second, third or fourth wave and that’s where I got that barrel.”

Word is the women will be up on Tuesday before the swell drops further on Weds before starting to come back on Thursday. Frustratingly for the event, whilst it will not ever be flat, they are sandwiched between two decent swells with the forecast promising a chunky bump a couple of days after the window ends.